Daddy's Girl
by Pip's Sister
Summary: Sixteen years in an alternate future, Spider-Man has a new foe to fight against. Who is she?
1. Chapter 1

Title: Daddy's Girl Part 1  
Author: Pip's Sister/Ms. Marvel 1  
Fandom: Spider-Man  
Rating: PG-13 for violence  
Archive: Yes  
E-Mail: felicitypirrip@yahoo.com  
Disclaimer: Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Mary Jane Parker, Norman Osborn/Green Goblin, etc. are all property of Marvel Comics and are used without permission for non-profit purposes. And Lydia Osborn is… uh… kind of my character, but not really.  
  
Notes: Okay, this fanfic is a very big AU. Now, everyone, we're going to do a little exercise. Let's all close our eyes and pretend that everything past Peter Parker, Spider-Man Vol. 1 #75 never happened. And, uh… different stuff happened. Yeah, different stuff. Um, except for "Hobgoblin Lives." That happened… yeah.  
  
Acknowledgments: Thank you Amy for your great Beta reading, Sazu for all your support and J.R. "MadGoblin" Fettinger, for coming up with the idea for this story in the first place. (Go visit his website: http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Stargate/9098/)  
  
~*~*~  
  
Sixteen years had come and gone, but Mary Jane Parker could recall the pain as if it were yesterday. As she looked out the living room window at the children playing on the concrete sidewalk, the laughing, happy children playing ball and tag, she remembered when she thought her own child would be among them.  
  
The year of her pregnancy had been difficult for both her and her husband. In what seemed like an amazingly short time, Peter's old clone, now calling himself Ben Reilly, had come back. Aunt May had died. Peter was revealed to be the clone. The two of them moved to Portland. Peter lost his powers. Then they returned to New York just in time for the Onslaught crisis.  
  
That was just the Cliff Notes version. Actually, more like the Cliff Notes of the Cliff notes.  
  
At any rate, the strain had been hard on both of them, but Mary Jane knew it was the hope of having their child that had sustained them.  
  
She closed her eyes and could see again the nightly dreams she had of her little girl. May (that's what they wanted to call her) always wore a pretty little pink dress and wide-brimmed white sun hat. Mary Jane never saw her face, but she could somehow still cover May's eyes as she walked behind her child in the backyard of their old house in Forrest Hills.  
  
Mary Jane remembered how excited May was, how May begged to be able to open her eyes. She remembered how she finally would open her hands. She remembered how she smiled at the sound of May's gasp of joy as her little girl looked upon her present.  
  
"Thank you, Mommy!" May cried as she gave her mother a squeeze. "I love my new swing set!"  
  
Then Mary Jane would pick May up and place her on a swing. They would be there for hours, just talking as Mary Jane pushed her little girl. Sometimes, Peter would be there and tell May jokes. Other times Ben Reilly would be there too and would make May toys out of webbing.  
  
Perhaps it was a bit contrived, but nevertheless Mary Jane loved that dream, and when she told her husband about it, he loved it too. Once he even claimed to have the dream himself.  
  
But it turned out to be only a dream. Her labor came unexpectedly and painfully, and in the end, it was all for nothing. May was dead before she drew her first breath.  
  
It was on this day sixteen years ago that she found out she was pregnant. Mary Jane sighed. Would she ever have another baby? They had tried before, but all that came out of it was failure and three miscarriages. She stared at her reflection in the window glass. She was 43 now. Gray streaks ran through her formerly scarlet hair. Fine lines were embedded in her once flawless face. Maybe it was time to stop hoping.  
  
But God, she still wanted to be a mother so much. Especially on days like today, that were a constant reminder of what had been lost so unfairly. No, she wouldn't give up hope! She just couldn't! She looked at her reflection once more.  
  
"So you have a few wrinkles," she said to it. "And maybe you've gone a little gray. No reason to stop. The clock hasn't run out just yet." She sighed. "Has it? I don't know."  
  
Mary Jane laughed to herself a little and shrugged. "Oh well. Even if I am getting older, I still look good, right?"  
  
"Of course you do," said a voice behind her. Mary Jane smiled as she turned and wrapped her arms around the voice's owner.  
  
"Peter, you're awake. How was your nap?"  
  
"Good, but I'm hungry. Are you up for some eggs?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
Peter and Mary Jane made their way towards the kitchen of the apartment that they had lived in ever since Aunt Anna died twelve years ago. The apartment was modest: a living room, kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom with white walls and polyurethane floors. They put baby blue curtains on the three, very wide windows, which allowed Spider-Man to enter in and out as he pleased, for they no longer had the skylight in their old Manhattan apartment.  
  
Their kitchen was small, but comfortable. You could invite two people over to eat maybe even four if you weren't claustrophobic. Six wooden cupboards hung above wooden counters, one of which held the stove, another the sink. The rest were littered with drawings of young women in fancy clothing, which were signed with a little "MJP."  
  
"Do you have to leave these everywhere?" asked Peter as he collected them in a pile.  
  
"Well, sorry. We can't all work solely on a computer," Mary Jane pointed out as she took her pictures. "You weren't exactly neat when it came to leaving your photos in one place."  
  
"Yeah, I remember. I'll go work on the eggs now."  
  
"Okay." Mary Jane ran her finger along the edge of the papers. The rustling sounded a bit like a sigh. "How long were you behind me, Peter?"  
  
"Huh? Oh, just a couple of minutes."  
  
"You really do agree with me?"  
  
"Of course, MJ. Besides," his hazel eyes gleamed a bit mischievously. "It's not as if I look like I did when I was sixteen."  
  
That was true. Fine lines had claimed the area around Peter's eyes as well, and a gray hair had appeared here and there.  
  
"Oh, but you're still a stud," smiled Mary Jane.  
  
"And you're still the most beautiful woman in the world," Peter cracked two eggs into a frying pan. "Why are you thinking about this? I'd love you no matter how you looked, anyway."  
  
"I know. It's not really about my looks. I'm more worried about my age and… well…" Mary Jane sighed. "Peter, do you remember what day it is?"  
  
"What day it is? I…" Peter's eyes widened. "Oh, God… is it?"  
  
Mary Jane nodded.  
  
Peter shook his head. How could he forget? They had this discussion every year around both this time and Halloween. "My God. I… It's been sixteen years now, hasn't it? It seems like yesterday."  
  
"I know. And I'm worried."  
  
"Worried? Why?"  
  
"Well, it's because… Pete, soon I'll be menopausal and…"  
  
"Menopausal!" Peter nearly let the eggs slip onto the floor. "Mary Jane, don't worry about that. That's at least another five years away."  
  
"I know, but… those five years could go by quicker than we think."  
  
Peter slid the finished scrambled eggs onto two plates, then walked over to Mary Jane and gave her a kiss. "Maybe, but we'll use the time we have until then."  
  
Mary Jane sighed, but nodded. "I guess you're right."  
  
The two of them smiled and wrapped their arms around each other. Still, Peter wondered as he squeezed his beloved wife if maybe... just maybe... their time was running out.  
  
Maybe all MJ said was true…  
  
~*~*~  
  
"Of course it's true!" snapped the young woman as she pointed accusingly at the one who had spoken. "If you doubt me, keep in mind exactly whom I, and you answer to."  
  
In the dimly lit basement of the damp, waterfront warehouse Chris O'Shale's eyes widened in surprise, but he was far from intimidated by the black-clad figure that stood before him. Chris had fought men twice as large as him. This girl, whose figure was so slight and thin that she couldn't be more than twenty, didn't scare him.  
  
"I know whom I work for," he spat. "I just question why he sends a little girl to do his job. If you ask me, someone should be at home playing with her dolls."  
  
The other men laughed and nodded in agreement. The young woman frowned as she played with the idea of throwing Chris' smelly, fat bulk through the next few walls, but she knew enough to calm herself down. His reaction was expected. Indeed, if she were in his position, she probably wouldn't have trusted herself, a mere girl of sixteen years, either.  
  
"Fine, but you know what? No one asked you. However, your employer gave me the orders for the mission, and he told you to follow him." The young woman's azure eyes brimmed like a glowing fire beneath her mask. "And I don't think I need to remind you of what happens to people who don't follow his orders."  
  
The men murmured and exchanged glances. Yes, they all knew very well what happened. They had seen it themselves all too often.  
  
"Good. Don't worry; I'm not leading the mission. You are all, of course, older and more experienced than I am. I'm simply the middle woman for the boss' orders."  
  
"What are his orders?" asked Jack Punch.  
  
"Simply this. The six of you are not only the best hitmen in New York City, but also loyal to the boss. You have all served well in his operations for years under the cabal. Now the time for revenge upon our greatest enemy is approaching. You are to be the ones to carry out phase one."  
  
"What's phase one?"  
  
The young woman's mouth formed a sinister smile beneath her mask. "The kidnapping of Mary Jane Parker, courtesy of Norman Osborn."  
  
~*~*~  
  
With a final scrape of fork against plate, Mary Jane finished her eggs, then rose to get Peter's plate.  
  
"Hey, I can get that."  
  
"No, it's all right. You cooked, so I'll do the dishes." Mary Jane turned on the faucet and started to scrub the dishes. "Besides, I bet you want to go out on patrol anyway."  
  
"Woah, hold it!" Peter exclaimed. "You're actually letting me go out? Encouraging me to go out? Is this some alternate universe?"  
  
Mary Jane laughed as she put away the dishes. "No, I have a meeting with some Calvin Klein people today. I'm going to show them my new line, so I won't be home anyway. Go have fun, and be careful."  
  
"Aw, thanks MJ." Peter gave Mary Jane a quick kiss on the cheek and walked off to the bedroom to get his costume. Mary Jane continued to talk as she collected her portfolio.  
  
"Just remember to do some work on the ESU web page, today. I don't want you losing your design job and having to go back to the Bugle."  
  
"Don't worry," Peter called back as he pulled on his tight spandex shirt and pants. "I'll get it done. I know how to manage my time."  
  
Mary Jane rolled her eyes. "Sure you do. And that's why you're always on time, right?"  
  
"I've been on time before!"  
  
"When?"  
  
"Um…" Peter snapped his fingers. "Flash's party. Remember when we all sent him off to go to the army?"  
  
"Oh, you cheater. That was ages ago," Mary Jane laughed. "Back when we were all in college."  
  
"Yeah. I still remember how we were all there. You, me, Flash… Harry… Gwen…"  
  
Silence hung in the air. Peter and Mary Jane's hearts felt heavy as they remembered their old friends. The places they went, the conversations they had, and the jokes they told. It was all so long ago, yet the memories made it all feel so near. As if everything they once had was in reach again, but that was never to be.  
  
"I miss everyone," said Mary Jane.  
  
Peter nodded. "Me too."  
  
"God, even Flash and Liz are gone. Flash went off to that coaching job in Chicago and Liz… well… she was in that… that accident."  
  
Peter's eyes darkened. "I doubt it was an accident," he said gravely. "I swear he had a hand in it."  
  
Mary Jane shook her head. "I don't know, Peter. I wouldn't put it past him, but there's no proof. The train crashed due to track malfunctions. You checked it out yourself and saw that a section of the track had been destroyed. It's not as if the track exploded by a pumpkin bomb. How could Norman have-"  
  
"He owns people, MJ. Ever since the day he killed Ben, he… I don't know how he did it, but he somehow convinced everyone that Urich's book was a bunch of lies and that he was really a good guy. Now he's back where he used to be. He has stock in everything, he influences everyone!"  
  
"I know, Peter. But you and I both realize that there's no evidence to convict him."  
  
Peter nodded gravely. "Yes, I do realize that. But still, the motivation was there. He had every reason to get Liz out of the way. After all, Normie became the Goblin soon after her death."  
  
Mary Jane sighed. "I know. I'm… I'm not saying he didn't have a hand in it. It's just… I… I don't know what we can do."  
  
"Neither do I."  
  
There was a brief pause. Mary Jane picked her purse off the coffee table. "Well, I'd better leave now if I want to make that meeting."  
  
"Want a lift?" Peter asked as he pulled on his mask.  
  
"No, I'll take the subway. I don't want to lose any papers while swinging across the city. See you later."  
  
"Okay. Bye." Spider-Man opened the window, shot a web line to the nearest building and swung off.  
  
He was three blocks away in less than half a minute, but Spider-Man's mind was still back in that conversation he had with Mary Jane.  
  
"Menopause?" he thought to himself. "God, it seems like only yesterday MJ and I were talking about going back to college (didn't go very well, but never mind that…). She's right, time flies so quickly."  
  
Spider-Man swung left then right as he maneuvered around a building. "I really do miss everyone. Liz, Flash, Aunt Anna, Ben Reilly, Aunt May, Harry, Gwen, Uncle Ben… sometimes I even miss everyone at the Bugle. Speaking of which, I should call Robbie soon, I haven't talked to him in awhile."  
  
He let go of the web, landing against a wall and sticking as soon as he hit. "Maybe we should adopt a baby. Oh, but MJ hates that idea. She's afraid the real parents will come back for the baby later. I don't know. I understand, but at this point it may be our only option. When I get back home-"  
  
Spider-Man's speech cut off as he felt a familiar tingle in the back of his head. "My spider sense?" He leaped away from the building as the fiery pumpkin bomb exploded on the wall behind him.  
  
"Damn!" exclaimed a voice. "I thought I had him!"  
  
Spider-Man glanced upward to see who had attacked him. He blinked at the sight of a young woman dressed in black riding a goblin glider.  
  
"Oh brother. You're supposed to be a goblin? Jeez, I know costume ideas can be hard to think up but at the very least you could have given yourself some pointy ears."  
  
"God, he was right! You are annoying," spat the woman as she hurled another bomb. Spider-Man easily dodged the blast and leapt onto the adjacent building, but he couldn't help but be confused as he considered his foe's last throw. It was weird, because it didn't seem as if she had thrown the bomb, but rather that it had shot from her hands. He didn't have much time to think of that now, though.  
  
"Annoying? Moi? Well, I'm sorry but you started the fight. If you're not having any fun, that's not my problem." Spider-Man pressed his two middle fingers on the button of his shooters, sending two globs of webbing straight towards the young woman. Unfortunately, she dodged just before the webbing could strike her, zipping downward on her glider and upward to renew her attack.  
  
The young woman jetted towards Spider-Man, arms out, her hands curled into claws as if to strangle him. Spider-Man leapt at her, hitting her stomach with his shoulder and knocking her off her glider and onto a nearby rooftop. The glider crashed onto the roof behind them as they landed. The woman shrieked in pain as she hit the roof.  
  
"Okay," said Spider-Man. "Now tell me what this is-AUGH!" he cried out as she delivered a concrete-hard punch to his jaw. She was stronger than she looked; it wouldn't have surprised Spider-Man if her strength were superhuman. No one as small as her could ever hope to produce such a blow.  
  
"But she's not as strong as me," Spider man thought. He threw a kick towards the woman. She seemed to sense the attack and leaped, but she wasn't quick enough to avoid it.  
  
"Gyaah!" The young woman groaned as her chin and stomach scratched against the dirty roof on her fall. For a moment she wanted to stay there, but forced herself to her feet. "You're going to get it now, you slimy bastard!" Her leg muscles tensed to spring, when…  
  
"Lydia, stop!"  
  
The young woman paused as she heard the deep, clear voice come over her mask radio.  
  
"What? But he's our enemy," she protested. "I can bring him down."  
  
"No. Now is not the time. Report to base!"  
  
"But…"  
  
"Report to base. That is an order!"  
  
The young woman's brow furrowed and her lips curled into a disgusted scowl. She snorted as she turned around and leapt from the building.  
  
"Hey!" Spider-Man exclaimed as he followed her. "You can't leave! We were just getting acquain-"  
  
The wall-crawler froze as he peered over the edge of the building. She was nowhere to be seen.  
  
"What?" he wondered aloud. Suddenly, his spider-sense began tingling. Spider-Man dropped to the ground at the last minute, his heart pounding as he heard the roar of the goblin glider as it flew overhead. He poked his head up to see where it went. However it, like the girl, was gone.  
  
Spider-Man took a deep breath and picked himself off the ground, his heart still beating wildly. That glider had almost gotten him. If he had waited another second, it would have gone through his back.  
  
"Just like Ben," he sighed sadly. "Who was that girl, anyway? And whom was she talking to? Osborn, maybe? Kingsley? I need some answers."  
  
He curled his finger underneath his chin as he considered his options. "Maybe I should give Robbie a call." Spider-Man shot off a webline and started for home.  
  
The wall-crawler was rather pensive as he started off. What was that girl all about? She obviously had powers (mutant, maybe?) and knew of him, but had never met him before. And she had a leader, probably male (she said "he" before, right? Yeah, that was right.).  
  
"Who on earth would send a teenager after me?" he said to himself. "Not that I have anything against teenagers, yours truly started off as a kid. Still, even if she is a mutant… sending her after me seems like a strange choice, especially if it is Kingsley or Osborn. Don't they have enough connections to send someone more experienced? Of course, Osborn sent Normie after me last year. And he's what… nineteen? But he had a motive behind that. What form of revenge would he-?"  
  
Spider-Man stopped as he felt his spider-sense go off again. He looked around as he swung towards his apartment. Nobody was around him but he could feel his spider-sense continue to grow more and more intense as he kept going.  
  
"Oh no," he whispered. Spider-Man kicked up his speed as quickly as he could.  
  
As soon as his feet hit the apartment wall, he raced up to his window, ripping it open.  
  
"Mary Jane? Mary Jane!"  
  
Spider-Man gasped as he looked around the room. Sitting serenely on their coffee table, as if it had always been there, was Mary Jane's handbag, and a lantern shaped like a pumpkin.  
  
~*~*~  
  
The flick of the lighter echoed off the walls as Norman Osborn lit his cigar, illuminating for a brief moment the dark study. The old businessman's cold blue eyes glanced at the antique clock on the left wall as he breathed in the rich tobacco.  
  
"She won't be long now," Osborn thought.  
  
Sure enough, it was at that moment when a thick Russian accent came through the speakers.  
  
"Meester Osborn?"  
  
The old businessman exhaled the smoke that had been filling his lungs moments ago. It curled around Osborn's cryptic features as he pressed the red button. "Yes, Catherine?"  
  
"Mees Lydia vishes to speak vith you."  
  
"Send her in."  
  
In a matter of minutes, Osborn could hear the pounding of Lydia's footsteps as she raced up the stairs, the click of the doorknob as she turned it, and the screech of the door as she slammed it open.  
  
"I understand you're in the throes of a temper tantrum," said Osborn as he took another puff. "But if that door is broken, I'm taking it out of your money."  
  
"Why did you have to call me off?" the young woman exclaimed as she slammed the door closed. "I could have handled him!"  
  
"For one, no you couldn't. You were not prepared nor equipped to fight him at that moment. For two, it was not time."  
  
Osborn's eyebrows deepened in a scowl. His voice boomed throughout the study. "I gave you specific instructions not to attack Spider-Man, yet you did it anyway. I told you to distract him at most. Distract him. And you deliberately disobeyed me!"  
  
"But I thought…"  
  
Osborn stood up and slammed his fist on the desk. "I don't care what you thought. You will follow orders!"  
  
"I could have taken him!"  
  
"If you think that, you underestimate him. I'll remind you of Harry and Normie…"  
  
"Oh, not this crap again!" Lydia spat as she threw her hands into the air.  
  
Osborn walked over to Lydia and grabbed her arm harshly. "Well, I think you need to hear 'this crap' again. Both of them underestimated Spider-Man. Harry lost to our enemy many times before the experimental serum Spider-Man drove him to use took his life. Normie, like you, fought Spider-Man against my bidding, before I was able to properly train him. His defeat, like the defeats of his father before him, drove Normie insane. You remember how I had to explain it to the press. How I had to publicly denounce him after I had put so much into him. After he had so much potential to hold the mantle of the Green Goblin!" Osborn loosened his grip on Lydia and lifted her chin up to meet her eyes. "Do you think I want to see that happen to you?"  
  
"In case you haven't noticed, I'm not Normie!"  
  
"Normie said the same thing about Harry. We will not discuss this any longer." Osborn turned away from her and walked back to his desk. "You will follow my orders in the future."  
  
"But-"  
  
Osborn sat down and continued to smoke his cigar. "I said, 'You will follow my orders in the future.' Now if you have no more to say-"  
  
"This is so unfair! I did what I did because I was trying to help us. I was trying to do what I thought you wanted. I don't even know why I try. Nothing ever pleases you. Nothing!"  
  
"Lydia," Osborn said calmly.  
  
"No, forget it!" the young woman turned to leave. "I'm going to bed."  
  
"Lydia."  
  
She sighed, then turned around. "Okay, what?"  
  
"Come here."  
  
"Oh…"  
  
"Come here."  
  
Lydia sighed, but obeyed. She walked over to Osborn and sat in his lap. The old businessman removed her black mask, letting her long, dark brown hair fall around her shoulders.  
  
"You may be angry with me now, but think for a moment. Spider-Man is our mortal enemy. He killed Harry. He drove Normie insane. He ruined our chances for power and happiness. Would you have wanted to kill him as you were then? Would that have been the perfect and satisfying victory you and I so deserve?"  
  
Lydia didn't say anything for a minute, but finally sighed and nodded. "No, you're right. It wouldn't have been a good victory."  
  
Osborn pressed her closer to him as she laid her head on his shoulder. "Don't worry. We have already captured his wife. Our revenge will come soon, my daughter. Very, very soon."  
  
To be continued… 


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Daddy's Girl Part 2  
Author: Pip's Sister/Ms. Marvel 1  
Fandom: Spider-Man  
Rating: PG-13 for violence  
Archive: Yes  
E-Mail: felicitypirrip@yahoo.com  
Disclaimer: Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Mary Jane Parker, Norman Osborn/Green Goblin, etc. are all property of Marvel Comics and are used without permission for non-profit purposes. And Lydia Osborn is… uh… kind of my character, but not really.  
  
Notes: Same as before. This story is an AU where everything after the clone saga (bar "Hobgoblin Lives") never happened. Other stuff happened. ^_^  
  
Acknowledgements: Thanks to Pet Tigress and Mr. Sinister for doing the Betaing while Amy was away, and thanks again to J.R. "MadGoblin" Fettinger for coming up with the idea for this story. (http://www.madgoblin.org)  
  
~*~*~  
  
"No!" Spider-Man grabbed the now burned-out lantern and hurled it against the wall. He glared as the pieces shattered and fell to the floor, trying to hold back his frustrated tears. If only he had given Mary Jane that lift. If only he had stayed with her. If only…  
  
Spider-Man sighed. Whatever he might have done, it wasn't going to help him now. Mary Jane was gone. Norman got to her somehow.  
  
It was up to him to get her back.  
  
Spider-Man leaped to the window and swung off into the dusky sky. "This won't happen again," he thought. "I won't let you hurt her, Norman. I swear it!"  
  
~*~*~  
  
Mary Jane's eyes flicked open and closed as she struggled to keep her consciousness. Where was she? How did she get here? She shook her head back and forth, struggling to break through the effects of the drugs.  
  
The drugs? Oh, yes. Now she remembered.  
  
Mary Jane had been walking to her meeting when the six Scriers pulled her off the sidewalk and into the alleyway. They shoved her into the van; four of them holding her down while the fifth pressed the white rag over her nose and mouth. The world went black as Mary Jane felt the van drive off.  
  
And now she was here in a pitch-black room. Her hands were tied behind her back, her feet to the legs of the chair.  
  
"What am I going to do?" she asked herself. "If only I could reach my spider-tracer and call Peter, but…"  
  
Mary Jane's thoughts cut off as the sound of heavy footsteps came toward her. She heard the flick of a switch and squinted as a dim light filled the room.  
  
"Have a nice nap?" asked a sneering voice.  
  
Mary Jane reeled back at Norman Osborn's condescending smile. Her hands struggled to reach the tracer.  
  
"Looking for this?" Osborn reached into the breast pocket of his suit and pulled out a small, red, spider-shaped mechanism. "I think I'll borrow your little contraption for a bit."  
  
"What do you want from me?" Mary Jane asked as Osborn strode over to the nearby wall.  
  
"What do I want? You'll see. However, at the moment there are more pressing matters."  
  
The old businessman pushed a red button on the side of the wall. In a matter of minutes, the door to the room opened and a young woman, masked and dressed fully in black entered the room.  
  
Osborn nodded in approval. "Ah, Lydia. Right on time. Why don't you take off your mask? I'm sure our guest would like to see you."  
  
Lydia shot a cold look towards Mary Jane. "Her?"  
  
"Yes, her."  
  
Mary Jane's eyes widened as the girl scowled and removed her mask. She had never seen this girl before, but something about her seemed so familiar.  
  
Osborn took Lydia aside and pressed the spider-tracer into her hand. "This will bring him to you. Just press the button to activate it. It may provoke something in you, but if it does, ignore it."  
  
"Provoke something?" wondered Mary Jane. "What could that mean? Unless she… but that's impossible."  
  
"Remember." Osborn stared gravely into Lydia's eyes. "I want him alive."  
  
The young woman sighed in irritation.  
  
"Don't do that. Trust me. You'll see my meaning soon enough. Now go. Don't disappoint me."  
  
Lydia gave a stiff nod and a "Yes, father." Then she left the room.  
  
Osborn smiled as the door closed behind her. "I know you won't." The old businessman turned back to Mary Jane. A smirk appeared on his face at her confused look. "Something wrong, my dear?"  
  
Mary Jane stared dumbfounded at the door, as if she could still see the one who had been there moments ago. "You… you have a daughter?"  
  
"Oh, indeed. I adopted her quite some time ago." Osborn began to circle around Mary Jane's chair. "Pretty little thing, isn't she? Quite bright, as well. I'm very proud of her."  
  
"But…" Mary Jane turned her head back and forth as Osborn walked around her. "Why haven't I heard of her? I talked to Liz all the time before her death. If she had a sister in law, I'm sure she would have told me."  
  
"If she had known," explained Osborn. "She never did."  
  
"But why?"  
  
Osborn stopped in front of Mary Jane and looked into her fearful green eyes. "Why? To protect her, of course. You know from experience what hounds the media can be, and my return from the dead gave me a good amount of press. I would never want to expose any sweet, innocent child to that. Would you?"  
  
The old businessman gave his captive a sinister smile that forced Mary Jane to instinctively back up against her chair. Osborn chuckled at her reaction. "Well, never mind her."  
  
Mary Jane gasped as she felt Osborn's burly hand grasp around the front of her shirt and pull her forward. Her lip trembled as she stared back into her captor's cold blue eyes.  
  
"Right now, you and I have to talk."  
  
~*~*~  
  
"Norman!" Spider-Man cupped his hands around his mouth in hopes that his voice would travel further and find his foe, but his call, like the others before it, was left unanswered. He sighed and gazed sadly at the illuminated Daily Bugle building that stood in front of him.  
  
"Where is he? I've been to the bridge, the Osborn foundation, and now the building where Ben Reilly died. God! What if I'm too late? What if Mary Jane's already…" he stopped himself and shook his head. "No, I don't think Norman would kill her without me to witness it. He'd want to see me suffer. At least I think he would. I hope he would…"  
  
Spider-Man gazed into the darkening sky. A few white stars twinkled dimly. "Please," he whispered. "Please let me find her. I don't want this to happen agai-"  
  
All of a sudden, Spider-Man felt his spider-sense tingle, leading him east. "The spider-tracer! Mary Jane must have activated it!"  
  
His heart pounded with excitement as he shot a webline and swung towards the source. He could tell he was close. Spider-Man swore he could hear the motor of the goblin glider in the distance.  
  
"The signal's coming from the roof," Spider-Man said as he jumped off his web and onto the side of a thirty-story skyscraper. Using all the speed he could muster, Spider-Man climbed towards the top of the building. "Don't worry, MJ," he thought. "I'll save you."  
  
He grabbed the building's edge and pushed himself up and on it. The wall-crawler started as he saw who stood in front of him.  
  
"No!"  
  
The young woman's eyes showed an evil scowl as she pressed the button on the spider-tracer, turning it off. "Yours, no?" she asked as he threw the tracer back to him.  
  
Spider-Man glared as he caught it. "Where are they? Where has Osborn taken my wife?"  
  
"I'm sorry," said the young woman coyly. "That information is classified."  
  
"I don't have time for games, kid!"  
  
"What a shame. I have plenty!"  
  
The young woman laughed as she thrust her hands at Spider-Man, sending jolts of energy hurtling straight towards him.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Osborn's mouth formed a wide smile at the sound of Mary Jane's shriek. "Ah, did I scare you, my dear?"  
  
The question hadn't sunken in when Mary Jane felt the strong hand crack across her face.  
  
"Good!" Osborn sneered. "You should be scared."  
  
Tears stung Mary Jane's eyes as Osborn smacked her again. She gasped as her captor threw her back against her chair. His sadistic laugh rang in her ears.  
  
"You foolish woman." The old businessman's teeth bared as he spoke. "You could have had everything, but you threw it all away."  
  
Mary Jane could feel her chest rise and fall against her bonds as she struggled to breathe. Red and gray hair draped around her face as her head hung down from her shoulders.  
  
"My son could have given you all you ever wanted. Money. Connections. You could have been the actress you always dreamed of being, but you bit the hand that so eagerly fed you."  
  
Mary Jane shook her head. "It wasn't like that."  
  
Osborn wasn't listening. "It was your fault he took drugs."  
  
"But he took drugs before I ever…"  
  
"It was your treatment of him that caused his downfall. Yours, your accursed husband's and that stupid, simpering wife of his!"  
  
"You can't think it was your abuse of him, can you?" Mary Jane thought bitterly. She would have liked to say that, but she knew it would enrage him further and that was the last thing she wanted. Instead she said, "You killed her, didn't you?"  
  
Her captor's rage subsided. Osborn crossed his arms and gave Mary Jane a smug look. "She was in the way. I wouldn't have been able to educate Normie with her around."  
  
Mary Jane's brow furrowed, "She was my friend."  
  
"All the more reason. Revenge is a sweet, sweet prize and I shall soon have the ultimate revenge against your husband. Best of all, I have you to thank for it."  
  
"Wh-What will you do to me?" asked Mary Jane.  
  
"What will I do to you?" Osborn laughed. "You think I'm going to kill you? Murder you in front of him like I did to your little blonde friend? No no, Mrs. Parker. I have something far greater in store."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Look to your left."  
  
Mary Jane did so. All she saw was the white wall. "But…"  
  
She heard the click of a switch and the wall opened up to reveal a large screen. With another click, the screen turned on, showing a picture of a building rooftop where two figures faced each other.  
  
"Peter?" Mary Jane's eyes widened. "And… is that Lydia?"  
  
"Yes." Osborn moved back to his captive as he continued. "The camera is placed on a building I own not far from the Daily Bugle. Here."  
  
Mary Jane gave a startled "Oh!" as Osborn roughly turned her chair to face the screen. His hand clamped her shoulder.  
  
"Don't want you craning your neck the whole time. Now pay attention, for tonight the Osborn/Parker war comes to a close. Tonight my daughter and I shall destroy Spider-Man!"  
  
~*~*~  
  
Spider-Man sprung backwards as the blast shot towards him, then forward at the young woman. "Where is she, kid?"  
  
The glider shot upwards before Spider-Man could reach its rider. He somersaulted in the air before landing on the roof.  
  
"Like I said, classified information and telling you is not in my job description. I'm just the pest control."  
  
As Spider-Man dodged the incoming bombs, he realized that if he were ever going to get that information out of her, he'd have to force it out. Judging by her speed, Spider-Man guessed it would probably be awhile before he caught her. He tried something else.  
  
"Why did Osborn send you, then?" He shot a stream of webbing toward the young woman as he spoke. "Doesn't he have older and more experienced people for this?"  
  
The young woman ducked, avoiding the webbing, then jetted towards her foe. "Don't underestimate me, old man. I may be young, but I'm more than a match for you."  
  
"Old man?" Spider-Man grabbed onto the young woman's glider as it flew overhead. "Yeesh. Meanwhile, Wolverine's been doing this hero stuff since I was a kid, but does anyone call him an old man? Nooooo, but Spidey's the old timer."  
  
Spider-Man pulled himself up on the glider, then grabbed onto its rider in an attempt to get her on the ground. The young woman struggled fiercely against him, but they still crashed onto the roof. She tried to escape, but Spider-Man quickly pinned her down by her upper arms.  
  
"Get off of me!"  
  
"Who are you? Why did Osborn send you?  
  
The young woman cried out as she squirmed beneath her captor's grasp. "You killed my brother. Killed him before I knew him and you drove my nephew insane!"  
  
Spider-Man blinked in surprise. He recognized these threats. Osborn had told him similar ones before. He knew she meant Harry and Normie, but…  
  
"Your 'brother'? Your 'nephew? You don't mean Harry and Normie!"  
  
"I do!"  
  
"That's impossible. Osborn doesn't have any children."  
  
With a sudden burst of strength, the young woman threw Spider-Man off her. She spun around as he tried to get up and kicked him in the face. "Maybe in the stories you've heard, but I am Lydia Osborn and I am Norman Osborn's daughter. And we will have our revenge for what you did to our family!"  
  
Spider-Man quickly recovered from the kick and leaped towards Lydia. Unfortunately, she seemed to once again sense the blow and flipped backwards a second before he could catch her. Lydia turned and ran back to her glider.  
  
"She moves almost as fast as I do," Spider-Man thought as he raced after her. "And she's just as agile. I still don't understand how she's reading my moves. If I didn't know any better, I'd think she had a… No, that's impossible."  
  
The glider was almost in Lydia's reach. She activated it from a switch on her arm, sending the machine hovering into the air. The muscles in her legs tensed then let loose as he jumped in its direction, aiming to land on it.  
  
Spider-Man wasn't about to let her get away again, though. He thrust his arm towards her, shooting a thin stream of webbing from his wrist. "You're not going anywhere until you tell me where my wife is!"  
  
The webbing stuck in a clump on Lydia's back. Spider-Man yanked on it, aiming to bring her back to the roof. However, the line was too long and he didn't use enough strength. Lydia knocked against the wall of the building. She shrieked as the webline snapped on the roof's edge and she began to plummet towards the ground.  
  
"No!" Spider-Man raced to the edge of the building and reached over to try and catch her.  
  
The young woman had her own plans, though. She turned around mid-air and touched her fingers to the wall. At first, Spider-Man thought she was trying to catch the upcoming ledge, but he noticed that the rate of her falling started to slow, then stop completely. His eyes widened in shock as he realized what was happening.  
  
Lydia was sticking to the wall.  
  
"What-? How-?" Spider-Man started to say. He was so shocked that he ignored his Spider-sense. He barely realized what was happening when the stun blast hit him, the world going dark as he struck the ground.  
  
~*~*~  
  
In the dimly lit room, Mary Jane Parker's flesh turned pale and cold. Her green eyes bulged. Her heart pounded in her chest.  
  
Not because her husband just fainted. Not because Osborn's fearful laugh celebrating his daughter's victory. And not because she feared what would happen next.  
  
She was afraid because she now realized that Lydia was about sixteen years old. Her dark brown hair was the same color as Peter's. Her bright blue eyes resembled the late Ben Parker's. She had Mary Jane's own high cheekbones and nose. When she moved, she was just as fast as Peter, just as agile. She fought just like him. She sensed his attacks.  
  
And she stuck to walls.  
  
"No…" Mary Jane whispered. "She can't be… she's dead. I…" A deep sob broke off her speech. Tears formed under her eyes. "I felt her die. No… she can't be her!"  
  
Osborn's sinister grin revealed the answer Mary Jane didn't want to hear. "Remember when I said I would have you to thank for my ultimate revenge? Thank you for my lovely child, Mary Jane. She has truly been a joy to me."  
  
Mary Jane's scream echoed throughout the room, then dissolved into heavy, choking sobs.  
  
To be continued…  



	3. Chapter 3

Title: Daddy's Girl Part 3  
Author: Pip's Sister/Ms. Marvel 1  
Fandom: Spider-Man  
Rating: PG-13 for violence  
Archive: Yes  
E-Mail: felicitypirrip@yahoo.com  
Disclaimer: Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Mary Jane Parker, Norman Osborn/Green Goblin, etc. are all property of Marvel Comics and are used without permission for non-profit purposes. And Lydia Osborn is… uh… kind of my character, but not really.  
  
Notes: Fanfic AU. Everything after Clone Saga bar "Hobgoblin Lives" all bull, yadda yadda. Oh, and the violence earns its PG-13 here for an offstage beating. (Did I give too much away? Well, I want you guys to know what you're getting into.) But it's not THAT bad.  
  
Acknowledgments: Thank you Pet Tigress for your Beta Reading, and thanks Madgoblin for the idea. (http://madgoblin.org)  
  
~*~*~  
  
Dusk became night. Bright stars pierced an ebony sky. The blue moon shone like a large crystal ball, watching the earth below.  
  
Norman Osborn couldn't help but smile as he stood on the verandah of his mansion, thinking about how the thread of fate was finally being woven in his favor. "Only her second battle with Parker, and she was able to best him. Harry wasn't able to do that until several battles had been fought, and Normie could barley land a punch on Spider-Man." The old businessman rubbed his hands together. Could it be that Lydia was the true heir to the Osborn legacy?  
  
Norman certainly hoped so. Lydia was his last chance at an heir. In a way, Osborn knew not to worry. His daughter possessed the power and intelligence to be not only the Green Goblin, but also a shrewd businesswoman. She mastered the art of combat faster than Normie. While his grandson would spend their trips to Wall Street whining that he was bored and wanted to eat lunch, Lydia was attentive to Osborn's dealings and answered correctly when he asked her whether to buy or sell.  
  
"It's rather ironic," Osborn said to himself. "My own flesh and blood turn out to be disappointments, yet Parker's daughter is the heir I've always wanted: strong, brave, able to stand up to anyone…" The villainous man smiled as he remembered their conversation earlier that day. "…Even me. Still, I can't let myself get too cocky. There's every chance she may still not succeed. I've experienced too much failure to be overconfident. I-"  
  
Osborn stopped when he heard the motor of the Goblin Glider coming toward him. A wicked smile formed on his face as Lydia rode down towards him, holding an unconscious Spider-Man in her arms. His daughter pressed a button on her arm, then leaped off and onto the verandah as the glider zoomed to the mansion's attic.  
  
"Here he is! I caught him!"  
  
"Yes, I know. His wife and I were watching you the whole time. You could improve in some areas, but on the whole, you were very good. Your performance certainly left a mark on Mrs. Parker."  
  
Lydia gave an amused cackle as she carelessly dropped Spider-Man and pulled off her mask. "Where is that bitch, anyway?"  
  
"Mrs. Parker is in the secret containment room on the second floor. You can 'play' with her a little before you kill Spider-Man."  
  
Lydia's blue eyes widened in surprise. "Me?"  
  
"Yes, you," Osborn frowned. "Do you shrink at the chance to destroy our greatest enemy?"  
  
"Well no, but… don't you want to kill him? You've fought him for so long…"  
  
Osborn shook his head. "Lydia, I am an old man. The Goblin formula has slowed my aging, but it won't keep me living forever. I want to know, to see that my legacy will live on. Besides, if you were to kill Spider-Man, it would be my greatest victory of all."  
  
"Why?"  
  
The old businessman smiled. Ah! If only she knew. "You're my daughter, and one of the greatest joys of being a parent is to be surpassed by their child."  
  
It was a good enough answer for Lydia. She leered at their foe, her white teeth bared as she did so.  
  
"Don't get excited too soon, dear. You first have to deal with his wife…"  
  
Lydia looked back at her father and gasped as he pulled a vial out of his breast coat pocket. Osborn popped off the cork and a green fluid bubbled within.  
  
"And also this."  
  
"Your Goblin formula… for me…?" she asked with awe.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"But… but I'm a mutant. I already have powers from your altered DNA."  
  
Osborn grinned briefly at the old lie he had told her years ago. Perhaps it would seem odd that she believed that lie. Why would someone who only had super-strength powers produce a daughter with many other enhanced abilities, including the power to stick to walls? However, it had been reported in various scientific journals that second generation mutants did not have the powers of their parents by rule, so the lie was swallowed without much thought by Lydia.  
  
"True," Osborn admitted. "But those powers did not come directly from the formula, did they? The formula should work just as it did on me, and increase your strength tenfold."  
  
Lydia took the vial when her father held it out to her. The formula was hot. She could feel its heat through the glass, tickling her fingertips. "Does it hurt?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
The young woman nodded. She suspected it would. Lydia closed her eyes and lifted the vial to her lips.  
  
If there was anything in the world that screamed to be spat out, it was the Goblin formula. It tasted exactly like Lydia imagined magma would taste: thick and scalding.  
  
Her face wrenched as she fought through her instinct to spit it out and swallowed. God, it burned! Her throat and stomach felt like they were being clawed apart and the feeling was growing. She collapsed on the ground as the clawing spread to her limbs.  
  
The transformation only lasted a few minutes, but it seemed like an eternity to Lydia. Finally, the pain seemed to subside. The awful clawing was gone, replaced by a crippling ache in all of her muscles. She curled up in the fetal position in an attempt to rid herself of the pain. Her chest rose and fell rapidly against her knees as she gasped for breath.  
  
Osborn walked a step forward and looked down upon his daughter. Lydia stared back into his eyes. "Did I bear it well?" she wondered. "Does he approve?"  
  
"Get up," commanded Osborn. "Now."  
  
The thought of standing nearly terrified the young women, but she, like those Scriers she had spoken to earlier, knew better than to question her father. Lydia shut her eyes and forced up all of her strength. It hurt so much to move. She tried to stretch as she sat up, but it did little, if anything, to quell the enormous ache. Lydia gritted her teeth as she pushed herself up and stood on her feet.  
  
Osborn opened his arms, which his daughter accepted eagerly. His hand moved under Lydia's chin and lifted it up.  
  
"You did well, my Green Goblin."  
  
~*~*~  
  
An hour later, Spider-Man heard a voice.  
  
"Rise and shine, Parker."  
  
The hero shook his head and opened his eyes. A blurry figure loomed over him, its features quickly morphing into the stern visage of Norman Osborn.  
  
"Blech! Well isn't that the most disgusting sight in the world to wake up to."  
  
"Is that so?" Osborn sneered at his foe, who lay strapped by andamatium bonds to the dining room table. "Well, maybe I should tell my daughter that. Hmmm… I do think she's with your wife at the moment…"  
  
"My wife?" Spider-Man exclaimed. "Where is she? What did you do with her?"  
  
"Ah, nothing… yet." Osborn's smug smile made Spider-Man want to throw the murderer across the room. "Don't worry, Parker, I won't kill her, and neither will my daughter. At least not yet, we have other things in store for the both of you."  
  
Spider-Man glared as the old businessman paced the length of the table. "What things, you lunatic?"  
  
"That's for my little girl to decide."  
  
Spider-Man's brow furrowed in frustration. Fine, he could find out the plan later. There was something else he wanted to know, however. "When did you have a daughter, anyway? And where did she get those powers?"  
  
Osborn suddenly stopped and stared at his foe. "You mean you haven't figured it out? You disappoint me, Peter. Your wife got it instantly. After all…" the wicked smile again. "What mother wouldn't know their own daughter?"  
  
Spider-Man's stomach tightened as he felt the blood drain from his face. "What…? What kind of sick joke-?"  
  
"I don't joke, Parker. You should know that by now."  
  
"B-But… May died sixteen years ago."  
  
Osborn's eyebrow raised in interest. "Did she? And who told you that? The doctor I hired to help with your wife's labor? The one who drugged you and brought you to me?"  
  
Spider-Man suddenly felt sick. God, this couldn't be true. This was just too awful… that child he had loved so much… the daughter he had waited so long for… alive? She was alive? Osborn had her all this time? How could it be?  
  
"Dr. Folsome didn't lie to you completely," Osborn said. "It was food poisoning which caused your wife's early labor. Her waitress at the Daily Grind was a hireling of mine, Alison Mongrain. At my orders, Alison poured a drug in the soup that would not only trigger a premature labor, but drug the child as well, making her appear to be dead.  
  
"After your wife gave birth, Alison took the unconscious child to the docks, where I was waiting with her pay for her wonderful services."  
  
"Wonderful services?" Spider-Man thought bitterly. "Stealing my daughter? Poisoning my wife? Destroying our lives?"  
  
"I told Alison Mongrain to dispose of the 'package' she had brought me, to never let it be seen again. However, as she stepped into the boat which would take her to Europe, well, it's odd how the mind works, but I thought of my own child and grandchild.  
  
"Harry had been such a disappointment to me. I wanted a strong heir to continue for me after I had gone and what did I get? A drugged-up incompetent who had the gall to let himself be killed by you! However, all was not lost. I still had my grandson to continue the family traditions, but there was always the chance that he could fail as well. I would not be able to oversee another generation. If only I had a trump card.  
  
"I called Alison back before the boat could leave and asked her for the package. She seemed confused, but didn't ask questions. I still remember the moment when she climbed back up to the docks and placed the child in my arms.  
  
"It was at that moment when the child first awoke. Her tiny arms flailed about and she let out a high-pitched screech as her blue eyes opened for the first time.  
  
"As I looked upon her small, helpless body I smiled at the irony. One day your radioactive blood would turn her into a creature of great physical might and power, and that creature was now mine to mold into an Osborn, and if need be, a Goblin!"  
  
"No!" Spider-Man shouted.  
  
Osborn crossed his arms and smirked at Spider-Man. "No?"  
  
"I don't know what you've told her or what you've done to her, but you're not corrupting May! I won't let you!"  
  
A cruel laugh escaped the old businessman's mouth. "How stupid are you, Parker? I've raised Lydia ever since she was a baby. She believes-knows me to be her true father. She knows her mother, a woman I hired to pretend to be my wife, left me soon after the wedding. She knows her powers came from my altered DNA. She's been told this all her life from the man who has raised her all her life. Why would she believe you?"  
  
With a movement so quick Spider-Man barley sensed it, Osborn gripped his hand around the younger man's neck. His eyes bored into Spider-Man's head.  
  
"She hates you, Parker!" Osborn growled. "She would love to see you maimed, tortured, eaten alive! She once told me if she ever found you dead in the streets that she'd spit on you! Do you understand Parker? Do you?  
  
Spider-Man strained against Osborn's grip. He tried to speak, but the hand was a vise on his throat. As he continued to struggle, Osborn took out a needle and jabbed it into Spider-Man's neck. The hero thought that the needle held more drugs and he would go to sleep again, but he didn't feel drowsy at all. In fact, the chemicals seemed to be doing nothing.  
  
Then, for seemingly no reason at all, Osborn slowly released his grip on Spider-Man, his angry features softening into his former smug expression as he did so. Spider-Man opened his mouth from beneath his mask to speak, but no sound came out.  
  
"What's wrong, Parker? Cat got your tongue?" Osborn snorted contemptuously. "I've paralyzed your larynx, if you haven't figured it out already. So even if you could convince my daughter of her true parentage, you are not able. Not that I believe you could, but there's no reason to upset her. Speaking of whom…"  
  
The ceiling of the dining hall made a metallic rumbling as it opened. Before Spider-Man could blink, a Goblin Glider zoomed from the ceiling. The hero's eyes widened in shock as he saw who rode upon it.  
  
It was the Green Goblin. Lydia had changed her costume, but it was obviously her beneath the mask ("Who else would it be?" thought Spider-Man). Her purple cape flew behind her as she zoomed downwards towards the two men, her gloved hands clutching a battered and bloody woman.  
  
"Mary Jane!" Spider-Man thought. "Oh my God! What did they do to her?"  
  
Osborn laughed cruelly as his daughter tossed the unconscious woman to the floor like a rejected doll. "Had fun, Lydia?"  
  
"Much!"  
  
Spider-Man's entire body tensed as Lydia smiled, her false fangs and pointed green ears giving her the appearance of a vicious predator. This was his daughter? The baby he felt kicking in his wife's stomach? The child on the ultrasound picture they once tacked to their fridge? She was this girl?  
  
"Well, here's the chance for some more fun." Osborn pressed a button on Spider-Man's bonds. They whipped back into the table, releasing him. Spider-Man immediately leaped towards his wife and cradled her in his arms.  
  
She looked like she was dead, or at least nearing it. Blood poured over her swollen face from a deep gash in her forehead. Her shoulder was dislocated and her arm was mangled back, clearly broken under the skin. Bruises and cuts covered her lovely body. Spider-Man felt tears welling up in his eyes. "Please, God," he thought. "Don't let her be dead… she can't be…"  
  
A pained groan issued forth from Mary Jane's mouth. She opened one of her green eyes. "Peter…"  
  
Spider-Man put a finger on her mouth to silence her. He could feel a great weight removed from his shoulders as he pressed his wife to his chest. She was alive! Alive! He was so happy that he felt like crying. However, this elation would be short-lived.  
  
"Hate to break up your little reunion, but I think we have some unfinished business." Osborn grinned as he turned to his daughter. "The time has come, Lydia. Avenge our family! Kill them now!"  
  
"With pleasure!" Lydia sneered as she pointed her gloves toward the reunited pair, sending waves of electricity hurtling toward them.  
  
To be continued…  
  
Extra Author's Note: In case you were wondering, as far-fetched as paralyzing someone's larynx seems, trust me, it's been done (at least in the MU) before. Sabra once did it to the Hulk with her quills during their battle, so it's not much of a stretch. :-) 


	4. Chapter 4

Title: Daddy's Girl Part 4  
Author: Pip's Sister/Ms. Marvel 1  
Fandom: Spider-Man  
Rating: PG-13 for violence  
Archive: Yes  
E-Mail: felicitypirrip@yahoo.com  
Disclaimer: Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Mary Jane Parker, Norman Osborn/Green Goblin, etc. are all property of Marvel Comics and are used without permission for non-profit purposes. And Lydia Osborn is… uh… kind of my character, but not really.  
  
Notes: Fanfic AU. Everything after Clone Saga bar "Hobgoblin Lives" never happened. The violence here is a bit gross, but I hope it doesn't distract from the story. Also, this part is very long! Hope you don't mind. :-\  
  
Acknowledgments: Thank you Mr. Sinister for Beta Reading this last chapter (what happened to everyone else? It's the curse of the Beta Readers, I tell you! I should keep leashes on them…). Also thanks again for MadGoblin (http://www.madgoblin.org) for coming up with this in the first place.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Mary Jane shrieked as Spider-Man leaped to the adjacent wall, just avoiding the electrical blast that came hurtling toward them. She grasped her husband tightly with her good arm as he stared down at their daughter.  
  
"Oooh, running away?" the Goblin taunted. She threw a bomb at the couple as she jetted towards them.  
  
Spider-Man jumped into the air at the last moment, shot a webline to the ceiling and swung up to the second floor through the opening in the ceiling where the Goblin had entered. He quickly repositioned Mary Jane so he could hold her in both of his arms and made a run for it.  
  
The Goblin followed in close pursuit, sending a barrage of pumpkin bombs, gas ghosts and razor bats that the hero just barely dodged thanks to his spider-sense.  
  
He couldn't keep running forever, though. As much as he wanted to stop his daughter, Spider-Man knew he couldn't fight carrying Mary Jane. Time to change tactics.  
  
A door to one of the mansion's many rooms was coming up. Spider-Man jumped towards it, leg outstretched to kick it down.  
  
"I just hope this room has a window," Spider-Man thought as the door shattered beneath his foot. He took a quick glance around the room. Yes! A window. Spider-Man ran towards it, quickly making a web ball as he did so. He then threw the ball through the window, shattering it, and leaped out into the mansion yard.  
  
"Come back, Spidey!" the Goblin sneered as she flew out the window after him. The Goblin's eyes scanned the yard. Spider-Man and his wife were nowhere to be found. She cursed and pressed a button hidden beneath the false black hair that hung from her hat, turning on the microphone hidden in her mask. "Um, Dad. I… I lost them."  
  
"You what?" Osborn's voice boomed over the microphone, making Lydia flinch a little. The old man sighed. "Where did they go?"  
  
"I'm not sure, I think they're still in the yard."  
  
"Keep looking for them. His wife's wounds are bad, but they're not fatal. He'll most likely hide her somewhere, then come back for us."  
  
"What should I do?"  
  
"Keep searching. And when you find him, don't bother with his wife, but lead him to the roof. Our surprise is waiting there."  
  
~*~*~  
  
Not far away, Spider-Man carefully lay his wife against the trunk of a large tree in the Osborns' backyard. He wasn't sure what type of tree it was (while he loved science, botany was never his strong point, he was more of a chemist), but the tree had branches which curved towards the ground so far they touched it. The clumps of leaves were also so thick that they created a nice little hiding place.  
  
Spider-Man pressed down on his web-shooter in a manner that would create a thick, solid stream of webbing, just perfect for a sling. Then, careful not to injure her further, he took his wife's arm.  
  
Mary Jane struggled not to cry out as Spider-Man swiftly pushed against her shoulder and popped her arm back in her socket. He then broke a short branch off the tree and webbed her lower arm to it, making a quick splint. He placed her arm in the webbing, and tied it together in the back of her neck.  
  
"Peter…" Mary Jane whispered as her husband made more web-bandages. "That… that girl… she…"  
  
Spider-Man nodded.  
  
"You know… of course…" Mary Jane could feel the tears well up in her eyes as her husband tied some webbing around a gash in her leg. "Peter, what are we going to do?"  
  
"I wish I knew," Spider-Man thought. Suddenly, he felt his spider-sense tingle. The Goblin was nearby! He turned to go.  
  
"Peter, wait!"  
  
Spider-Man stopped and turned to his wife. She closed her eyes and pressed her bloodstained lips to his own.  
  
"I… Good… Please… I…" Mary Jane sighed. "Do… Do the right thing."  
  
Spider-Man nodded, but as he ran out into the open, he and his wife asked themselves the same question.  
  
Just what was the right thing?  
  
~*~*~  
  
"Spi-deeey!" The Goblin's high pitched mock rang out through the night. "Come on, old man. Where the hell are you?"  
  
Her blue eyes scanned the yard from beneath her mask. Still nothing. She flew on her glider towards the back of the mansion. "Haven't checked here yet," she whispered to herself. The Goblin called out again. "Hey web-head, come on out!"  
  
This time, a "thwipp!" behind her answered her call. Her false fangs glinted as she smiled. The purple cape on her back flapped behind her as she spun around.  
  
Spider-Man had swung to one of the top branches of a nearby tree. He hung upside down, staring at her.  
  
"May," he said to himself. "That girl in the costume is May. How can I fight my own child?"  
  
The Goblin laughed. "Ah, so you've finally come out, Spidey. What took you so long? Did that bitch of yours keep whining for you to rub her feet?"  
  
A frown appeared on Spider-Man's face as the Goblin laughed at her own joke. It hurt more than angered him, though. "Let it roll off your back," he told himself. "She's only trying to bait you. You have to keep control of the situation if you want to save her."  
  
The Goblin tossed her head, throwing back her purple cap and false black hair. "Well, I do believe it's time we settled this. Follow me if you wish, old man!"  
  
With a loud hum, the glider spun around and the Goblin flew to the roof of the mansion. Shooting a webline, Spider-Man followed after her.  
  
"Please, God," he thought. "Let me do the right thing. I can't mess this one up. I owe May that much."  
  
As soon as he landed, Spider-Man glanced over the roof. Norman Osborn was waiting for him. His burly hand was resting against a cylinder-shaped metal contraption that was about as high as his waist. ("What could that be?" thought Spider-Man.) The Goblin flew in back of Osborn, ready for a new command.  
  
"Came back?" Osborn asked. "I knew you would. Well, I must say I've enjoyed this little game, but all good things must come to an end. Green Goblin, kill him, won't you?"  
  
The Goblin laughed and zoomed towards her foe. "With pleasure!"  
  
Spider-Man leaped to the side. "How can I do this? If only I had my voice back. I have to try to break through this. I can't let Osborn beat me!"  
  
His spider-sense buzzed. The hero back-flipped into the air, avoiding the shower of razor bats. His spider-sense buzzed again. Spider-Man ducked as the Goblin's blast shot toward him.  
  
"What the hell is wrong with you?" The Goblin shot more blasts toward him, but only ended up missing. "Why don't you fight me?"  
  
"Because you're my daughter," Spider-Man thought. "Because you're the child I lost sixteen years ago to that murdering psychopath who's stopped at nothing to ruin my life. Because even though you hate me and don't know me, I love you." God, he did love her. Despite the fact that he didn't really know her, despite the fact that she hurt Mary Jane so, despite the fact that she despised him, he loved her.  
  
Didn't that count for something?  
  
The Goblin renewed her attack. She flew towards Spider-Man, seemingly aiming to crash into him. Spider-Man jumped to the side once again, but this time the Goblin was prepared. She leaped off her glider and towards her foe, intersecting him before his Spider-sense could react.  
  
Spider-Man grunted as the Goblin's foot smashed against his ribs. He felt the roof slam against his body. He tried to get up, but the Goblin was on him in an instant. Her purple-gloved hand pulled him off the ground by the neck and she knocked him onto the contraption. Six metal cords shot from the device, pinning him to it.  
  
He was trapped!  
  
The laughter of Osborn and the Goblin rang in his ears.  
  
"Very good, my girl." Osborn then turned to Spider-Man. "Ah, it does an old man's heart good to see you like this. And when my daughter sets off this bomb filled with the serum that killed my son goes off, I'll die a more than happy man. Lydia, if you please."  
  
The Goblin laughed. "Oh, yes! I love to see poetic justice. Don't you, Daddy?" She laughed once more and set to work setting off the bomb.  
  
Spider-Man twisted and turned in the grasp of the cords, but it was no use. His spider-sense buzzed louder and louder as the Goblin worked to start the bomb. Maybe this was it. Maybe this was the end.  
  
Maybe this time he would die.  
  
"Die?" he thought. "Die here? Strapped to a bomb set by my own daughter? By the hands of Norman Osborn, who took so much from me?"  
  
Took so much…. His first love. His best friend. His dear brother. All of them had died because of Norman. Liz probably died by him as well. Then Normie had gone insane because of his grandfather's influence.  
  
Now it was happening again. The bomb would kill him. They would leave Mary Jane to die. He would go to his grave never letting his daughter know the truth.  
  
"No," Spider-Man thought. "I won't let that happen. I won't let Norman get them. I won't…"  
  
The Goblin's finger loomed over the red button that would set off the bomb. She froze. "Dad… m-my danger sense… it's…"  
  
"I won't!" The metal made an ear-splitting screech as Spider-Man ripped through it. The hero hardly recognized his voice. Although he had fought through the paralysis, he had not overcome it completely. His voice was low and scratchy. It sounded less like a human's voice and more like an animal's growl.  
  
The Goblin pounced on him but Spider-Man knocked her away easily. He webbed her up as soon as she hit the ground.  
  
"Sorry, honey," he thought sadly.  
  
Norman Osborn pulled on an electronic glove. The fact that Spider-Man escaped was not so surprising; the bastard had an annoying habit of coming out of even the worst situations. Their scheme had clearly failed, and now that Spider-Man had learned to fight through his paralysis drug, remaining here was a danger to his plans.  
  
The old businessman reached for the remote control of his own glider when Spider-Man ran towards Osborn and knocked him to the ground. Osborn growled as Spider-Man's hand clamped around his throat.  
  
"Dad!" exclaimed the Goblin.  
  
Osborn grunted and punched Spider-Man in the face. The wall-crawler reeled back as Osborn ran towards his daughter. Before he could get very far, though, the hero kicked him in the shins, tripping him. He webbed him up.  
  
The Goblin gasped at the sight of her father's capture. She struggled in vain against the webbing. "You bastard! Let him go!"  
  
Spider-Man grabbed Osborn's throat again. The white eyes of his mask stared down at the old man with contempt.  
  
"Tell… her…"  
  
The Goblin frowned. What was he talking about? Her father, however, simply gave Spider-Man a look of confusion.  
  
"Tell her what?"  
  
"You… know…" Spider-Man tightened his grip, making Osborn groan in pain. "Tell her… who… her father is…"  
  
"He's my father, you moron!" snapped the Goblin. "Didn't you hear me before?"  
  
"Her… real… father…"  
  
The Goblin was taken aback. "Real father? Dad, what's he talking about?"  
  
"Nonsense!" growled Osborn. "He's talking nonsense. He's just trying to confuse and trick you. Don't believe his lies."  
  
"No… tricks… or lies… I wouldn't lie…" Spider-Man let go of Osborn, letting him fall to the ground, and turned to the Goblin, "to my daughter."  
  
The Goblin's heart skipped a beat. "What?"  
  
"Lydia, he's lying!"  
  
"I'm your… your father… wh-when you were a baby… Osborn stole you from me…"  
  
"How can you say such awful things?" Osborn asked. "Haven't you hurt my family enough?"  
  
"You know it's true… your powers are the same as mine," Spider-Man gulped as he finally broke through the paralysis. "How could they have come from Osborn?"  
  
"I… I mutated differently," the Goblin shook as she spoke. "My… no! My powers couldn't have come from you."  
  
"They didn't," nodded Osborn. "Don't believe him. You know in your heart that you're my daughter."  
  
"He's just manipulating you," Spider-Man said. "He does this to everyone."  
  
"To say such horrible things about me in front of my own child. Have you no shame?"  
  
"Lydia, I'm not lying. I know you don't want to believe me, but it's true. I'm the one you got your powers from. You didn't mutate differently."  
  
"You're not believing him, are you?"  
  
"O… Of course not!" The Goblin glared at Spider-Man. "You're lying!"  
  
"What would I gain from lying to you?" asked Spider-Man.  
  
"You're… trying to divide us! Just like you tried to take Harry from us by pretending to be his friend. You've always been jealous of the Osborns because you never had what we have. You've always had a horrible and lowly life…"  
  
"She just swallows everything he tells her," Spider-Man thought as he bowed his head. "How can I convince her when she's so far gone? If only I had a fact she couldn't argue with… wait!" He turned back to the Goblin. "Lydia, why haven't I heard of you until now?"  
  
Osborn's eyebrow raised at this new line of questioning. The Goblin seemed surprised as well. "Dad never told anyone who I was. He did it to protect me from scum like you."  
  
"So…" Spider-Man said cautiously. "You never had a birth announcement. Otherwise, I would have seen it in the Bugle."  
  
The Goblin paused, then nodded.  
  
"Then…" Spider-Man took a step towards the Goblin. "How else would I know that you were born on Halloween."  
  
The young woman's eyes widened. "How did you know that?"  
  
"I'm your father, Lydia."  
  
"No!" she cried. The Goblin's heart pounded in her chest. Her palms began to sweat. It wasn't true. It couldn't be true. So what if they had the same powers? So what if he knew her birthday? Dad was right. There was no way that annoying, stupid insect could be her father. He was a liar! He had to be. A slimy, stinking… "Liar!"  
  
Spider-Man froze as the Goblin screamed in rage and ripped out of the webbing. His spider-sense went off, but he didn't seem to realize it until after the Goblin's fist cracked against his chin.  
  
"Liar!" she screamed. "You stupid liar. I hate you. I'll kill you!"  
  
Osborn reached into his pocket and pulled out a razor bat to cut through the bonds that held him, smiling as his daughter battered his greatest enemy. His eyes then glanced at the bomb. Perhaps their plan still had a chance after all. As soon as the villainous man was free from the webbing, Osborn slithered over towards the bomb and pressed the red activation button. His mouth formed an evil leer. One minute until it went off.  
  
Spider-Man groaned as the Goblin hit him again. She was stronger than before; her hits were much harder this time.  
  
"I can't let that stop me, though," he thought. "I can't lose this."  
  
Spider-Man pushed the Goblin off him. She scowled and threw another bomb at her enemy. He dodged, then sent another glob of webbing hurtling toward her. Miss!  
  
The Goblin pressed a button on her glove. Her glider's engine suddenly roared. It rose in the air, then dived like a hawk towards her foe.  
  
The hero leaped to avoid it again. "Lydia, please! I'm telling the truth. I don't want to fight you." His spider-sense suddenly buzzed. Something smacked against his face. His world suddenly went hazy as he realized what it was. A stun bomb!  
  
"Then sit back and relax, bastard," the Goblin sneered as she jumped on her glider. "And I'll just kill you, no fighting involved."  
  
The old businessman rushed over and shouted to his daughter. "Lydia, knock him toward the bomb, it's about to go off."  
  
"No problem, Dad!"  
  
Osborn's heart thundered in his chest as she moved in for the kill. "Yes, my girl. Finish what I started!"  
  
Spider-Man could barely hear or see anything through the thick haze of the stun bomb. His spider-sense, however, was screaming out. He knew that the Goblin was coming for him. Using all of his strength, Spider-Man groaned, folded his arms and threw himself at the Goblin's legs.  
  
Norman Osborn froze. The force of the unexpected hit threw Lydia off the glider and straight towards the bomb. She landed with a thud, dazed from the impact.  
  
"No!" Osborn cried. The old businessman raced towards her as fast he could. "Lydia, get away from there! That bomb's about to go off."  
  
"What?" exclaimed Spider-Man. Oh, God! What had he done?  
  
He shot a webline toward the Goblin. However, before the silk strand could connect, Osborn threw himself at Lydia, knocking her out of the way. The webbing hit Osborn, knocking him into the bomb, and a surprised Spider-Man didn't pull back.  
  
Spider-Man was far enough away. The Goblin's danger sense caused her to instinctively roll to the side. However, there was no protection for Norman Osborn. A loud boom rang out as the bubbling, green liquid burst from the bomb, engulfing Osborn.  
  
"Dad!" The Goblin ran towards him, tears rolling down her cheeks beneath her mask. "Oh my God. Dad!"  
  
Spider-Man rushed over as the Goblin kneeled down at Osborn's side. Her father was shaking violently. Sweat poured from his brow as the strength-increasing chemical burned his skin. Osborn groaned in anguish.  
  
"Dad, hold on. You… you can't go. It's too soon. It's…"  
  
Her father fell silent. Osborn could feel the world slowly slipping away. His sight, his sense of touch… it was all fading. The old man could hear his daughter's pleas as he felt himself slip into unconsciousness. Please, don't go. I need you.  
  
Osborn smiled to himself despite it all. No, this was the perfect time to go. Osborn now had what he had wanted for so long: a strong heir. Lydia was told who her true father was and refused to believe it. She stayed at his side as he was now dying, mourning for him as her true father.  
  
Lydia was truly his daughter. And Osborn knew in his heart that she would always be his child. She would carry on the family traditions. She would see the Osborn fortune to its fruition. She would have children like himself to carry on after her.  
  
And, best of all, she would destroy Spider-Man.  
  
Osborn's eyes rolled back in his head. His body went limp. It was over.  
  
Norman Osborn was dead.  
  
"No…" the Goblin whispered. "No…"  
  
At a loss for what to do and torn seeing his child so upset, even over the death of scum like Osborn, Spider-Man placed his hand on her shoulder. "Lydia..."  
  
The green lips of the young woman's mask curled back in anger as she felt Spider-Man's touch. She whirled around and an energy blast exploded from her fingertips. "Get your hands off me!"  
  
Spider-Man groaned as the blast hit him. The Goblin signaled for her glider to fly to her. She picked up her father's body, cradling it in her arms, then mounted the glider.  
  
The wall-crawler shook his head, regaining his senses. He looked to the sky, meeting the Goblin's contemptuous glare.  
  
"How dare you touch me!" she hissed. "How dare you call me by my name and talk to me as if I were your friend."  
  
"You're my daughter."  
  
"Shut up! I am not. You aren't my father. And don't you dare call that red-haired slut of yours my mother. Get this straight, Parker. I have no mother. My father is dead. And one day, murderer, you'll pay for all you've done. One day…" The Goblin glider backed up higher and higher into the night sky until the figures were barely visible. "I'll be back. And next time, I won't let you live."  
  
~*~*~  
  
Spider-Man tried to chase after Lydia, but the glider seemed to be faster than the wind itself. She was gone in a matter of seconds.  
  
He leaped from tree to tree across the Osborn's backyard. The yard seemed nearly endless tonight, but he eventually did reach Mary Jane's tree. He pulled back the branches and peered inside.  
  
Mary Jane's chin lay against her chest. Blood flowed in small streams down her face. It soaked through the web bandages, which were rapidly dissolving.  
  
She was getting worse.  
  
"Mary Jane" he called out. Spider-Man rushed to her side.  
  
His poor, beloved wife slowly lifted her head. "Peter…"  
  
"Shhh! Don't speak, honey. I'll get you to a hospital."  
  
He scooped her up; careful not to move any of her broken bones. Mary Jane grasped him closely with her good arm, then looked around. Her lips parted, she let out a little whisper.  
  
"Lydia… where is she?"  
  
Spider-Man felt a cold hand squeeze his heart. He sighed. "I… She… I… I told her the truth. She… She didn't believe me."  
  
There was a silence.  
  
Mary Jane nodded. "I… I guess she wouldn't, would she?"  
  
Spider-Man said nothing. He then leaped into the air and swung off, his wife sobbing softly against his chest.  
  
~*~*~  
  
The television droned on from its perch on the wall. Magazines lay open and cluttered on the small wooden coffee table. White fluorescent lights illuminated the tiny room where Peter Parker sat, elbows on knees, head in hands, waiting.  
  
He glanced at his watch again. 3:52. So he'd been here about four hours then. Peter sighed sadly. Things couldn't get any worse.  
  
No, that wasn't true. Things could be worse. Things could always be worse. He just needed to stay positive.  
  
Stay positive? And just how was he supposed to do that? How was he supposed to stay positive when his own child had been brainwashed and wanted to kill him? How was he supposed to stay positive when she had battered his wife so badly that she could be close to death? How was he supposed to stay positive when she loved and was loyal to that murderer who killed so many people he had loved?  
  
Peter sighed. "It's not her fault," he told himself. "She doesn't know any better. It was the way she was raised. It was just her parenting…"  
  
"Just like Doc Ock?" a voice in his head reminded him. "Or Harry? Or Norman?"  
  
He felt his heart sink. Tears welled up in his eyes. It was true.  
  
She was no different.  
  
She was just like Dr. Octopus. Just like Harry. She was just like…  
  
Norman turned her into this! That scumbag turned her into one of them. His hand clenched into a tight fist.  
  
He was almost glad Osborn was dead. Almost.  
  
A Hebrew saying that Peter once heard from Randy's wife, Amanda, came to mind. "When your enemy falls, do not rejoice." It worked for Norman in this situation, certainly. What exactly was there to rejoice about? Even if you decided to be optimistic and ignored the fact that Osborn had a habit of coming back from the dead even under the most sure of circumstances, Osborn had still killed so many people Peter loved and now had another permanently in his clutches.  
  
"He should have died thirty years ago," Peter murmured. "What difference does it make now? His death won't bring any of them back. His death won't make Lydia accept the truth. His death won't make Mary Jane bet-"  
  
The sound of footsteps moving towards the room broke off Peter's thoughts. He sat up and turned his head as a nurse entered the room.  
  
She was around his age. Wisps of gray grew in her dark brown hair. Wrinkles had formed under her soft gray eyes. Her mouth was curled downward in an expression that was both serious and sad.  
  
"Mr. Parker?"  
  
"Yes. How is she?"  
  
"Well, your wife's injuries are serious."  
  
Peter took a deep breath.  
  
"But they're not fatal."  
  
His eyes closed. He sighed with relief. "Thank God."  
  
"She should be fine," the nurse nodded. "However…"  
  
Peter's eyes widened. "However?"  
  
"Even though the assailant did attack all areas of her body, the assault was centered mostly on the face. And short of very expensive surgery, I'm afraid the scars…"  
  
"… Are permanent?"  
  
She nodded again. "Yes."  
  
Peter covered his face with his hands. "When can I see her?"  
  
"Now if you like. Come with me."  
  
~*~*~  
  
The nurse pushed the metal latch and the door opened with a creak. "Mrs. Parker! Your husband is here to see you."  
  
A soft whisper of "Oh good" was heard. Peter followed the nurse to the curtained bed near the window. The nurse pulled the curtain back and Peter saw his wife.  
  
Purple lumps swelled on her beautiful face. White bandages were tied around her head and right eye. Her arm was wrapped in a thick cast. She looked better than before, but it was still sad to see her so hurt.  
  
"I'll leave you two alone for awhile," said the nurse. Peter just stared at Mary Jane as the nurse walked away and closed the door.  
  
Mary Jane's lips curled into a forced smile. "Hey, honey."  
  
"Hey…" Peter pulled up a nearby chair. "How are you feeling?"  
  
Her smile immediately faded. She closed her eye and choked back a sob. "How am I feeling? How do you think I'm feeling?"  
  
Peter froze for a second, but only a second. "Mary Jane, it'll be okay. I told you I'd love you no matter what you looked like."  
  
His wife sniffled and shook her head. "I don't care about my looks, Peter. It's our daughter."  
  
"Honey, I'm sorry. I really did try-"  
  
"Peter, I don't blame you, really. It's… it's…" Mary Jane broke into sobs, tears streamed down her face. "Why does this always have to happen to us?"  
  
"Mary Jane."  
  
"It's not fair. I hate him, Peter. I hate him! Why did he have to do this to us again?"  
  
"Honey, it's all right. He's gone now. He was doused with the same serum that killed Harry. He's dead."  
  
Mary Jane shook her head. "I know you don't truly believe that."  
  
Peter sighed. She was right.  
  
Mary Jane blinked in an attempt to dry away her tears. She gulped back another sob. A moment of silence passed.  
  
"You know what I keep thinking, Peter?"  
  
"No, what?"  
  
"I keep thinking about how we used to talk about adopting a baby, and I always said no because I was afraid the real parents would come back and demand the baby back from us. Heh, and now I want my baby back. Funny, huh?"  
  
"Mary Jane, this isn't the same…"  
  
"I know. Hear me out. You know, I used to wish that somewhere out there, May was alive and in good hands. And now that we found out she was kept by that… that monster, all I can think about is how much I would have loved if May had been raised, if not by us, at least by a loving family."  
  
Peter nodded. "I know. I feel the same way."  
  
Mary Jane reached over and held her husband's hand. "Peter, I want us to be that loving family for someone else. I want there to be a woman or a couple out there who will be happy because the Parkers are raising their child. I've changed my mind. I want to adopt a baby."  
  
"Really?" Peter asked. "You know they can still come back for the baby."  
  
"I know. But I don't care any more. In fact, it probably wouldn't bother me as much as I thought it would. I know where they're coming from now. Don't you think so, Peter? Don't you think this is a good idea?"  
  
Peter smiled. "Hey, you thought of it, so it must be pretty good. And I do want a baby. We'll look for one after you get better."  
  
Mary Jane smiled as her husband wrapped his arms around her. She hugged him back with her good arm. "Thank you, Peter. Thank you."  
  
~*~*~  
  
The torches on the walls cast an eerie light over the dark, dank ceremonial hall. Two men in dark cloaks and ghost-like masks and a young woman in a black dress carried the corpse to the golden pyre in the front of the hall. One of the men lit the pyre as the other chanted.  
  
"So we deliver our brethren back to the spirit realm. May you find peace in the world beyond."  
  
Lydia Osborn's body was as stiff as a board as she watched the two Scriers place her father into the growing fire. She didn't want to do this, but she knew it was necessary. She had to protect the secret of the serum in his blood somehow. It would be far too suspicious if she bribed the coroner for a fake autopsy. Certainly someone remembered her brother doing the same twenty three years ago.  
  
The Scriers turned from the pyre and walked back towards her. She turned to one of them. "You were sure he was dead, right?"  
  
"Yes, Miss Osborn. The cells in his body have made no attempt to heal themselves. I'm afraid he's gone."  
  
Lydia sighed. She almost felt a sob escaping her mouth, but forced it down. The Scriers were being polite to her now, but she knew they hated her and thought her to be nothing more than a selfish, inexperienced child. She would not show them any weakness.  
  
The other Scrier walked over to her. "I'm quite sorry for your loss, Miss Osborn. Your father was a great man."  
  
"Yes, he was. Other than Normie he was my only family. But I am glad that I will at least be able to continue his legacy."  
  
The Scrier nodded. "Yes…. Good night, Miss Osborn."  
  
"Good night, Mr. Chase."  
  
Lydia turned back to the fire as the Scriers walked away. Chase gave the other Scrier a quick glance, then reached into his robe, pulling out a large, silver knife. He turned and lunged at the young Osborn.  
  
The young woman's danger sense buzzed. She whirled around, knocking the knife out of Chase's hand with a quick kick. Chase froze. Lydia seized the opportunity and clamped her hands around his neck. The man gagged and shook, struggling to break free, but her grip was far too strong. His eyes rolled back in his head. He coughed up blood, then suddenly went limp.  
  
He was dead.  
  
Lydia's cold blue eyes met the other Scrier's. "You were going to kill me? Kill the daughter of your leader?"  
  
The Scrier simply glared back. "You mean nothing to the Scriers, little girl. Even if Osborn did make you his heir, we do not follow you. The Scriers want nothing to do with you. The Cabal is mine."  
  
"Fine," she spat. "But consider yourselves excommunicated, if you will."  
  
"What are you saying?"  
  
"Get all of your Scriers out of the mansion and other homes by the end of the week. All of you who work for Osborn Industries are now fired. I'll stay out of your cabal if you stay out of everything that is mine. Got that?"  
  
The Scrier snorted. "I don't think so. Who will care for you?"  
  
"Catherine is my friend. She'll care for me. The V. P. of Osborn Industries is also close to me. He will watch over the company until I am finished with college. And also let it be known that he has friends in the government. I'd just hate to see what will happen if they learn of your past crimes. I believe Mrs. Klaus is still looking for her husband's killer, is she not?"  
  
The Scrier paused. "You're good, kid. Very good. Fine, we have a deal. But if you betray us…"  
  
"I won't. Now get out. And make sure I never see any of you again."  
  
The Scrier picked up the body of his fallen ally and left.  
  
Lydia turned back to the fire. "So much for your loyal servants, Dad. But don't worry. I know they won't come back. I know too much for them to dare."  
  
The young woman smiled. "You've raised me well, Dad. I won't let you down like Harry and Normie did. I will dedicate my life by destroying our enemies. From this day on, I will never let the Parkers have a moment of peace. They will pay for all they have done for us. Yes, they will pay with their lives!"  
  
Lydia threw back her head and laughed, and as the funeral fires grew brighter and hotter she fancied she could hear a goblin in the flames, laughing along with her.  
  
The End. 


End file.
